1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mobile data communication, and more particularly, to the transfer of data from a mobile device to a data storage facility.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile computing devices are becoming ever more common, and services for these devices are increasing in versatility and demand. Users of these devices increasingly rely on the convenience provided by mobile telephones, personal digital assistants, laptop computers, and other mobile devices. As users depend more and more on these devices and their services, designers and service providers face an increasing demand for speed, simplicity, and reliability. At the same time, there is an increasing demand to lower costs by making efficient use of equipment and infrastructure. These various demands often come into conflict as designers and service providers strive to better serve their users.
While traveling on a commuter train, for example, a user may wish to make a remote backup copy of data from a laptop computer. To create the remote backup, the user selects the files to be backed up and establishes a wireless connection that enables access to the Internet. Through the Internet, the user then reaches a remote site that provides backup storage. The remote site can be, for example, a service provider that provides storage for data in return for a fee from the user. The user may manually copy the selected files onto the remote backup storage through the wireless connection.
A variety of challenges and inefficiencies are presented by this operation. First, this backup operation may include a large portion of redundant copying. Second, this operation may include an inefficient under-utilization of some portions of the communications link between the laptop computer and the remote site. Third, this operation depends heavily on management and oversight by the user. It would be helpful to have systems and techniques that reduce one or more of these burdens.